Common blue butterfly
This beautiful little butterfly is a regular visitor to the Green in late spring through until the autumn. Towards the end of May as many as three at a time could be seen in the Meadow area with occasional sighting being made along the Welbeck Road boundary where the photo of the mating pair was taken. It has a wing span of between 29 & 38mm and is the UK’s most widespread blue butterfly
The males are a distinct blue and are relatively easy to spot while the females are usually brown with orange spots along the trailing edge of the wings. Some females have a hint of deep violet blue near the base of the wing as can be seen in the photo of a female Common Blue photographed in 2017. The under-side of the wing is a complicated pattern of dots and there are many subtle variations, so it’s not always easy to identify the sexes from the under-wing pattern. The under-wing pattern is useful when comparing the Common Blue with another blue butterfly that frequents the Green, the Holly Blue. This is has fewer and much small black spots on a very pale blue under-wing.
Because they live in small colonies and feed on a wide variety of plants the Common Blue can be found almost anywhere in the UK. For this reason they are a good indicator of biodiversity and therefore their continued monitoring is particularly important.
The males are a distinct blue and are relatively easy to spot while the females are usually brown with orange spots along the trailing edge of the wings. Some females have a hint of deep violet blue near the base of the wing as can be seen in the photo of a female Common Blue photographed in 2017. The under-side of the wing is a complicated pattern of dots and there are many subtle variations, so it’s not always easy to identify the sexes from the under-wing pattern. The under-wing pattern is useful when comparing the Common Blue with another blue butterfly that frequents the Green, the Holly Blue. This is has fewer and much small black spots on a very pale blue under-wing.
Because they live in small colonies and feed on a wide variety of plants the Common Blue can be found almost anywhere in the UK. For this reason they are a good indicator of biodiversity and therefore their continued monitoring is particularly important.